3i6 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Nov. I, 1897. 
is more venturesome than most of his contem- 
poraries ; for lie goe.s beyond u am ways, am I sug- 
gests a modification of switclibacks, tboiigb he 
does not disdain cart roads, and thinks more 
inigbt be siient on tbeni than on useless tanks. 
As in previous letters, so in those now before us, 
there is much diversity of opinion on Weeding. 
“ C. A.” has often thought weeding overdone ; but 
As a rule hilly lands would suffer from any 
other kind of weeding ; and though selected 
weeding might be tried he de[>recates less fre- 
quent weeding. “E.W.” would prefer selected 
weeding to thoroughly clean weeding j but doubts 
if coolies could be got to carry out the selection 
properly. “ M ” is more unequivocal in his 
opinion that weeding is overdone, especially on 
steep land and wind-blown ridge.®, as a bare 
surface cannot fail to suffer during the monsoon. 
He therefore favours selected weeding. Not so 
“O.Y. A.” who thinks regular clean weeding the 
cheapest and therefore the most labour-saving, 
thou"h selected w'ceding would be better hus- 
bandry. “Low'country” (with the qualification that 
there is too much scraping), “ G,'’ “ T. Koko ’ and 
“ Dimbutdanda,” all favour clean weeding as the 
best and most economical ; while the last-men- 
tioned jdeads the further advantage, that coolies 
are generally more contented on a clean estate, 
evidently shaving master’s oi)i.iion, that weeds 
are pernicious wherever they are met ! None of 
our correspondents have had exiierience of dig- 
"ing in any other growth planted between the 
tea, and most of them are aveise to any e.xperi- 
ment in that direction. 
On Drainage there is less difference of opinion 
some of our correspomlents being content with 
their drains, others sugge.siing minor modi- 
fications, such as the growth of a grass that 
would not spread and silt pits in the drains at 
intervals. “O.A.” however, condemns the present 
system of drainage, but cannot suggest a better 
at a reasonable cost. 1 he objection against dis- 
cus, that it develops a fungus in tlie roots, 
deserves investigation. We have not heard of 
it before, and it may he due to purely local 
causes. Hedges of tea above road.s — and why 
not above drains ? — are said to be popular in 
parts of Dimbula as a preventive of wash. The 
importance of gardens in conciliating coolies is 
generally admitted. Goats and cows are suggested 
as an auxiliary by one planter,— so that we may 
develope by-and-bye, to the proverbial “three acres 
and a cow” !; another, a present once in 6 months 
of a Spinning and WeavingCompany’s cloth forgood 
pliickers, and a jiresent once a year for all ; 
while from more than one comes the caution, 
that the cooly need be only treated justly, and 
a goo<l day’s work got out of him. That is, 
however, the si)ecial difKculty of the time, as 
“G.” suggests. In his view, the cooly now does no 
more than half the work he did eighteen years 
am) and even in the plucking of leaf there has 
been a falling off within the past 8 years ; and 
he refers it all to too frequent cases in Court 
and the ultimate decision against the Master. 
Yet, “Lowcountry” has had his cooliesand kanga- 
nies for T2 years without trouble ! The opinions 
on Bazaars and Taverns are of the familiar des- 
cription, and pre.sent no special features calling 
for comment. 
(Letters Continued.) 
No. XXXVf.— Lowcountry. 
(1) I have erected many wire shoots and firmly 
believe in them for all transport purposes where 
their gradient admits of a reasonable delivery i.e. 
where not too steep — 1 in 6 from point to point is 
a good all-round gradient though I have erected 
shoots as flat as 1 in l.u. Thefe, however, require 
lunners of larger diameter to do good work, leaf is 
not damaged if properly packed, that is the loads 
should not exceed say 56 lb. It depends, of course, 
largely on the gradient of the shoot how many lb. 
one can send down without jamming at the end. 
(•2) No, I know of none (save wire shoots) of any 
importance. 
(3) No. I suppose, I am one of the few planters 
who have had practical experience of tramways as 
I have had laid three miles of 2 feet gauge. No 
doubt circumstances exist, with reference to situa- 
ticn, (fee., (fee., where their adoption might with safety 
be recommended, but in the “vast” majority of 
cases, there is nothing to touch the cart road and 
bullock bandy for economy and serviceableness, and 
the native thoroughly understands this means of 
transport. 
(4) No doubt of it. The trouble is that, in every 
case, you must find out what weeds, in your parti- 
cular locality, may be left with advantage nud what 
must be eradicated and educate your labor accord- 
ingly. The Indian system of leaving everything 
and holing in will never do for this country, but 
I could till a page or two of foolscap 011 this 
subject ! 
(5) I don’t believe in too long an allowance of 
moss — it tends to “sour” the s.'il. 
(6) For five years, on Labnkelle estate, I culti- 
vated a creeping grass which was the most admir- 
able prevention of wash as well as doing no harm 
to the tea I have ever seen. I eradicated all other 
weeds and let this grass spread. It died down and 
lay upon the ground like hay in the dry weather 
and grew again in the wet. It is common in Ram- 
boda and Nuwata Eliya especially on Oiiphant. I 
don’t know what has become of the experiment 
since I left the estate in 18',12. Probably treated 
like many another idea as “ a’ rot ” by my suc- 
cessor 1 
(7) Yes this is good and I have seen it adopted 
advantageously though I have never tried it my- 
self. I have, however, used “guinea grass” for the 
same purpose, because it killed two birds with one 
stone and afforded cattle and horse feed as well as 
stayed wash. 
(8) Factories are not yet so well arranged as they 
might be ; tea too often in course of manufacture 
being carried ‘ back ” from machine to machine, 
instead of comiug in at one end of the build- 
ing “leaf” and leaving at the other “Tea.” Where 
water power is abundant, we want firing by “ elec- 
tricity ” to save fuel. This can and “ought” to be 
done. Dear fuel and continued squeeze in prices 
will no doubt bring it about. 
(9) Coolies’ needs and wants have grown since tea 
came in, but their pay has remained stationary. I 
am strongly of opinion that we ought to pay them 
more, and the heavy Coast Advances all over the 
country, (the greater proportion of which will be 
lost) simply mean that the cooly has obtained, in 
this form what would have done more good in the 
shape of “ less advances aud better wages.” Sit on 
coast advances and pay coolies monthly should be 
the motto and at better rates. 
(10) No, nothing of the kind, you can’t drive labor 
in this direction. Coolies will go where they can 
meet the biggest crowd on Sundays, and have a yarn, 
and though you put Caddies just outside their lines 
they will sooner walk miles to get to the centre where 
the crowd congregates. 
(11) No, I don't ojject to Ramasamy having a 
drink and it is better to know where the liquor 
shops, at which he drinks, are aud that they are 
duly licensed. What is needed, however, is that 
some steps should be taken to see that only good 
liquor is dispensed and not, as is too often the case, 
a vile decoction, ruinuous to the health of those 
who drink it, instead of sound arrack. 
A. F. C. 
